Card punch feed mechanism



April 10, 1934. H. A. WEINLICH El AL 1,954,232

CARD PUNCH FEED MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 x M i INVENTOR /fi h ATTORNEY oodoo; N H N g H. A. WEINLICH ET AL Filed Jan. 14, 1952 A il 10, 1934.

Patented Apr. 10, 1934 CARD PUNCH FEED MECHANISM Hermann A. Wel'nlich! and Ulrich Kiilm, Berlin,

Germany, assignors, by mesne assignments, to

, International Business Machines Corporation,

New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application January 14 1932, Serial No. 588,496

In Germany February 13, 1931 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for controlling the feeding of a carriage such as may be used in perforating machines, reproducing and verifying machines, and the like.

The broad objects of the invention are to generally improve machines of the above types by making them simpler in construction, more convenlent to operate, more reliable in operation, and cheaper to construct.

The primary object of the invention is to provide novel and improved mechanism for controlling the feeding of a carriage such as might be used in machines of the above types.

Another general object is to provide an improved decimal tabulating mechanism.

Another specific object is to provide a decimal tabulating mechanism controlled by electricity.

Various other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the following description and claims or will be apparent after a study thereof and of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a perforating machine embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of the electrical connections of the decimal tabulating mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1.

The construction and operation of the invention may be understood by showing how it may be embodied in a well known perforating machine, for instance, the one described in Letters Patent No. 1,803,979 granted May 5, 1931, to John T. Schaaff. Since the machine described in said patent has now become well known in the art only brief mention will be made herein of its construction and operation. It will suflice to say that the machine has a series of punches 10 selectively controlled by keys 11 corresponding to the twelve index-point positions in the columns of the card. The machine shown is of the electrically operated type wherein operation of any key 11 selects one of the punches 10 for subsequent actuation by an electromagnet which forces the punch through a blank card 12 on the card table 13.

The magnet also operates escapement mechanism comprising a holding dog 14 and a release dog 15 to cause the card carriage 16 to move one column space to the left (Fig. 1) after the punching operation has been completed and the selected punch withdrawn from the card.

The dog 15 normally engages rack teeth 17 in the carriage and prevents movement to the left (Fig. 1) while the dog 14 is normally disengaged from the rack. A carriage feeding spring drum 18 is geared to teeth 19 in the carriage and normally has a tendency to feed the carriage 16 to the left (Fig. 1). It will be seen that it is merely necessary to lift dog 15 without disturbing dog 14 whenever it is desired to release the carriage for feeding movement greater than is permitted by a single operation of the escapement mechanism alone.

The mechanism for arresting the carriage in the proper column in the field in which perforating operations are to be commenced will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 which illustrate the preferred arrangement. Fixed to the rear of the machine and extending parallel with the carriage 16 is a plate 48 of slightly greater length than the record card, which plate 48 has secured to its upper surface a series of bars 49 of conducting material insulated from each other and from the plate 48. Each of the bars 49 (Fig. 2) is connected through a wire 50 to one terminal of key actuated contacts 51 in series with a relay magnet 52 connected to the right current supply wire 53 with the exception of the top bar 49 which is connected to the left current supply wire 54 through the magnet 37.

Mounted upon the plate 48 for movement parallel with the carriage 16 is a slider 55 which may be slid lengthwise of the plate 48 and held in adjusted position by means of means such as springpressed plungers 56 cooperating with indexing holes 5'? in the plate 48. Slider 55 is of sufficient width to cover ten columns of the record card 12 and bears on its upper surface a series of ten bars 58 of conducting material insulated from each other and from said slider. Each of the bars 58 has continual contact with the bars 49 so that said slider may be moved to any position lengthwise of the bar 58 without breaking the electrical contact between the bars 59 and 49.

Extending rearwardly of the carriage 16 is an arm 59 carrying ten brushes 60 each of which rests upon one of the lower nine bars 49 (Fig. 2) which brushes have a common connection but are insulated from the arm 59. It will be clear that the brushes 60 will move over the bars 49 and 58 as the carriage is moved from right to left (Fig. 1) during punching operations and that eventually said brushes will ride up on the surface of the slider 55 without, however, breaking the circuit through said brushes during the time the brushes move from the bars-49 upon the ends of the bars 58. Bridging the contacts of the keys 51 are the contacts 52a of relays 52.

The operation of parts just described will now be explained, assuming that the carriage has been moved to the position shown in Fig. 1 in readiness to begin perforating a blank record card 12 thereon and that the slider 55 has been set to correspond with the ten columns of the record card 12 in which amounts are to be perforated.

If theoperator should desire to perforate an amount of, let us say, four figures, in the field with which the slider 55 coincides, he will depress the fourth key from the bottom (Fig. 2) thereby establishing a circuit from left side of the line 54, magnet 3'7, the top bar 49, brushes 60, the fifth bar 49 from the top (Fig. 2), wire 50 to the fourth key 51 from the bottom, relay magnet 52 to right side of the line 53. Energization of the relay 52 will cause its associated contacts 52a to close thereby establishing a holding I circuit through said relay and the magnet 3'7 which will be held as long as the brush 60 makes contact with the fifth bar from the top and the associated bar 58 on slider 55.

Energization of the magnet 37 will cause the dog 15 holding the carriage 16 to be released whereupon the carriage will start to move to the left (Fig. 1) so that the brush 60, referred to before, will move to the left over the fifth bar 49 from the top (Fig. 2) and eventually will ride up on the corresponding bar 58 in said figure.

It will be observed that the bars 58 are graduated as to their lengths, the lowest bar (Fig. 2) being the shortest while the tenth bar on the upper one in said figure is the longest, the others being of proportionate lengths.

It will be obvious that the brush 60 will eventually move off the bar 58 thereby breaking the circuit through the magnet 37 and relay magnet 52 breaking down the holding circuit, and permitting the dog 15 to drop into engagement with the rack teeth 17 in the carriage 16 thereby arresting said carriage in the column in which is to be entered, the first digit on the left in the amount to be perforated.

If the lowest key 51 (Fig. 2) is depressed, the second bar 59 from the top in said figure will be selected and a circuit established through said bar and the lowermost magnet 52 in magnet 37 so that the carriage will move a greater distance before the dog 15 will be released and comes to rest with the punches over the last column of the field in which the perforation is to be made. If the top key 51 is depressed the carria e will move to bring the punches over the second column of the field in which perforations are to be made. Depression of the other keys, of course, will cause the carriage to move correspondingly to positions intermediate of those mentioned.

The small figures above each wire 50 (Fig. 2) indicate the decimal position to which the carriage will be set when a circuit is established through said wire.

It will be obvious that the use of the relays 52 makes it possible to immediately release any key 51 which may have been operated thereby effecting a saving in time since the operator can have his fingers in readiness to operate the keys 11 when a carriage comes to rest in the proper column.

The form of embodiment of the invention described herein and shown in the drawings has been used solely for the purpose of explaining the principle of the invention and the manner in which it may be applied to a well known type of machine, and it will be obvious that the invention may be varied as the occasion demands or embodied in other types of machine without deviating from the basic principles described herein.

We claim:

1. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations, power means for moving said carriage, means normally holding the carriage against movement in response to the power means, an electromechanical device for disabling the holding means, a circuit for operating said device, a settable device in said circuit and adapted to variably control the point of interruption of said circuit in response to movements of the carriage, and a series of key controlled contacts selectively operable to set up said circuit and co-operating with the settable device to determine the point of interruption of said circuit.

2. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable in recording operations, power means for moving said carriage, means normally holding the carriage against movement in response to the power means, an electromechanical device for operating the holding means to release the carriage for movement in response to the moving means, a control circuit for said device, a plurality of selectably operable elements for controlling said circuit, and a settable device in circuit with the electromechanical device and said elements for variably controlling said device in accordance with the element selectably operated, said settable device being rendered effective in response to movements of the carriage.

3. In recording apparatus, recording devices for entering data on a record sheet, a carriage for effecting movement of the recording devices and record sheet relative to each other to make successive entries of data on the record material, means for moving said carriage between entries, disengageable means holding said carriage while entries are being made and operable between entries to space successive entries apart, an electromechanical device for disengaging said holding means to allow unrestrained movement of the carriage by the moving means, a control circuit for said device, a settable device in said circuit and responsive to movements of the carriage for controlling said circuit to engage the holding means at a plurality of points in a field of the record sheet in correspondence with which field the settable device may be positioned, and key controlled means operable to set up said circuit and co -operating with the settable device to determine the point in the field at which the settable device is operative to effect engagement of the holding means.

4. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations, feeding means for moving the carriage, means normally holding the carriage against movement and adapted when released to permit the carriage to move under the influence of the feeding means, an electromechanical control device operable to first release said holding means and then restore the effectiveness of the holding means whereby to arrest the carriage, a circuit for operating said device, a device settable to control said circuit and having provisions for confining the arresting of the carriage to one of a plurality of positions within a restricted zone of movement, sensing means in said circuit controlled by movement of the carriage for sensing the setting of the settable device and controlling said circuit according to the setting of the settable device, and key controlled means for varying the efiect of the settable device on the sensing means.

5. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations, feeding means for said carriage and an electromechanical device for controlling the extent of feed imparted to the carriage, a control circuit therefor, a series of key controlled circuits selectively operable to set up said control circuit to vary the extent of feed of the carriage, a settable device having differentially proportioned contact means each associated with one of said key controlled cir cuits and corresponding to a given position of the carriage in a zone pre-selectable by setting the settable device, each of said contact means being rendered operative by the operation of its associated key controlled circuit; and a sensing device operatively connected to the control circuit and responsive to movement of the carriage for controlling the control circuit in accordance with the contact means associated with an operated key controlled circuit.

6. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations, means for feeding said carriage, means for controlling the extent of movement of the carriage, an electromechanical device for operating the controlling means including a control circuit for said device, a series of key set up circuits including a series of parallel contact bars of length proportional to the maximum feed of the carriage; a slider common to said bars and presettable longitudinally thereof, said slider having a series of contact sections of graduated lengths, each section being electrically connected to one of said bars and associated with a given position of the carriage; a sensing device cooperating with said bars and sections and movable longitudinally thereof in response to movement of the carriage and proportionally to such longitudinal movement of the carriage, said sensing device serving to operatively couple the key operated circuits and the contact bars and sections to the control circuit and control the latter in accordance with the length of the contact section associated with any key circuit set up.

7. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations, feeding means therefor including a control device for governing the extent of movement of the carriage in response to feed by the feeding means, a support, a slider manually settable along the support to positions corresponding to zones of movement of the carriage, said slider having a plurality of graduated elements adapted for controlling the control device to determine the different extents of movement of the carriage in any zone in correspondence with which the slider may be set, sensingmeans responsive to movement of the carriage and operatively connected to the control device to control the latter in accordance with any of the graduated elements, and manual selecting devices for rendering one of said elements effective to control the control devicethrough the sensing device.

8. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations, means for moving the carriage from one position to another, a device for controlling the movement of the carriage in response to the moving means, a support, slide means manually settable along the support to positions corresponding to zones of movement of the carriage, said slide means comprising a plurality of graduated elements each adapted to control said device differently from the other elements whereby to determine different extents of movement of the carriage, sensing means responsive to movement of the carriage and operatively connected to the controlling device to control the latter in accordance with any of the graduated elements, and manually selectable means for rendering one of said elements effective to control the controlling device through the sensing means.

9. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations, means for moving said carriage to different positions, an electromechanical device for controlling such movements, a control circuit for said device, a slider movable to correspond with different zones of movement of the carriage, and having a series of contact sections of graduated lengths each adapted to control the feeding of the carriage a different extent; a series of key controlled circuits each having a connection to one of said sections and adapted to be selectively operated to render one of said sections effective, and sensing means cooperating with said sections and serving to couple the latter to the control circuit for the electromechanical device to control the latter and hence the movement of the carriage in accordance with the length of the section associated with an operated key controlled circuit.

10. In recording apparatus, a carriage movable during recording operations; means for feeding the carriage; means operable to call into action or suppress operation of the feeding means including an electromechanical device and a control circuit therefor; a series of manually controlled circuits operable to control said first named circuit including a series of parallel contact members; means associated with said members comprising individual contact sections of graduated lengths, each section being electrically connected to one of said members and corresponding to different degrees of movement of the carriage; a sensing device cooperating with said members and contact sections and movable longitudinally of the members in response to longitudinal movement of the carriage, said sensing device serving to operatively couple the manually controlled circuits, the slider sections, and the contact bars to the control circuit of the electro-- mechanical device whereby to control the latter in'accordance with the length of the contact sec- 

